Made of glass
by Necromancer Raccoon
Summary: At a young age, Naruto leaves Konoha. He returns years later, sword in hand, with the power of the Kyuubi under his own control. The world will never be the same again. Bleach crossover. Intelligent/violent Naruto. NarutoxOC, possible OC side pairing.
1. Chapter 1: Just a game

This is an idea that I got reading some story I found on here, and it got me to thinking; whenever Naruto gets taken out of the village as a kid, someone always runs it by the Hokage first, and he always says yes. What if he just left? What if the Hokage found out by accident and started throwing people who would be involved in prison? Where would that take things? That's what I was thinking about. So, you get this story after a weekend of nothing but playing paintball with a huge prick, a fat guy, a short kid, a dumbass, and a slacker. Hope it doesn't come out as too much crap.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or anything else, that appear in this story, except for the OC's.

9 year old Naruto Uzumaki sat against a wall, his eyes closed, deep in thought. 'One screw up could be my last,' passed through his mind. A drop of sweat rolled down his forehead. He didn't know why he chose to wear an oversized blizzard-tested jacket in the middle of the summer, but he wore it. He did a lot of things he didn't see any sense in. Impulsive would be how he described himself.

He glanced at the clock on the wall opposite to him: it read 6:30 p.m. Two hours had passed since the beginning. Two hours of repetitive trial and error, and still there was no edge for either of them.

"We don't have all day, Naruto-kun."

Naruto opened a single sapphire blue eye, glaring at the speaker. It was a man, with sharp, calm, coal black eyes, black hair tinged with green, and pale skin. He wore a red skin tight, long sleeve shirt, and one knee was pulled up to his chest, showing that he was wearing loose green sweat pants as well. His lips were curled up into a smile. Naruto hated that smile. It was arrogance. Pure arrogance.

"There isn't much time to think in a situation like this. Most of the time you would have died already," the man continued, the smile still in place. Naruto really hated that smile, even more with every passing second. "Hmmm… Yeah, you should probably make a move."

Naruto sighed; possibilities flickered through his mind, all too quickly to see. Bits and pieces of outcomes that all seemed to fit together, but he knew they didn't. He exhaled slowly. The images slowed to a crawl, but still floated past. A small smile crept onto his lips, before Naruto opened his eyes. The blonde reached forward, moving a small, highly detailed horse's head carved from black marble.

The green haired man raised a thin eyebrow; Naruto was trying something, and knew it was obvious, which was a good thing for the blonde, but dangerous for everyone else involved. In simple terms, Naruto was a calm, cruel, ice cold genius. Beyond genius, in fact. He found joy in mentally torturing people, whether by fear or confusion didn't matter, so long as there was at least temporary madness created, he was happy. And he was good at it. Great, actually, nearing the skill of a professional in his field of expertise, above the ability of most ANBU, but still unpolished enough to accept teaching from Ibiki Morino . It wasn't working, mostly because Naruto's resources were extremely limited. The Hokage had forbidden Ibiki from teaching Naruto any truly advanced torture methods. But only Ibiki was forbidden from teaching Naruto, which was where Koga came in.

"Your turn, Naruto-kun," Koga said softly.

Naruto looked at the board. Koga was going for offense. An amateur mistake, just begging to be pulled into a trap. Any other time, Koga would play carefully, regarding every move as life or death, finessing his way out of every problem that came up.

But it was different now. The man had seen through the deception of changing strategies, but only that far. Still, it was far enough to kill Naruto's plans. Naruto moved another piece, which was taken on Koga's turn. This went on for five minutes, until Naruto was left with six pieces, and Koga with eight.

"… Well, Naruto-kun?" Koga prompted when the blonde didn't move.

"Amateur mistake, tou-san," Naruto sighed, a smile on his face as he shook his head. He reached out to the board, moving a single piece across in a zigzagging pattern and jumping a; of Koga's pieces in the process. "Checkmate."

Koga stared at the board. Then he looked up at Naruto. "I guess you win, kid," he chuckled, closing his eyes. "But…"

Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"There's still one important question," Koga continued.

"And what is that?" Naruto asked, curiosity evident on his face. He couldn't help asking; he felt the need to know whatever he could find out. An obsession, really. But Koga didn't give an answer. He just seemed to go off onto another train of thought.

"When you're playing chess, what do you focus on?"

Naruto thought for a moment, before he said "…I watch what my opponent is doing." He narrowed his eyes. "Why?" Koga wasn't making any sense. Naruto hated it when people didn't make sense.

Koga grinned. "Exactly. You watch your opponent's moves, hoping to figure out what moves they might make next, what their response to your move would be, their expression, everything. Am I right?" He didn't wait for an answer. Naruto wouldn't have given him one anyway.

"You predict what will happen, using what has already happened. Passing what you know into what you know could happen, then acting on what you see the most."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Your point?" Whatever Koga was trying to say, Naruto wanted him to just go out and say it for once. Subtlety was nice, but it got old.

"Straight to the punch, like always. I like that," the green haired man laughed softly. "My point is that, while you are still in Konoha, your skills are up against a glass ceiling."

Naruto knew it was true. He had said it himself countless times, and he had known Koga was going to do something about it, but the blonde hadn't expected it so soon. It was like Koga knew when Naruto was becoming anxious, or angry, or depressed. It was actually kind of creepy.

"But," Koga began again. "If you were to leave the village, I could train you, and get you better teachers for your other skills, namely taijutsu, genjutsu, and torture."

Naruto thought for a moment; it was a good offer, one he would probably never get again. But there was a catch. There was always a catch, even with Koga, even if it was a simple one. "… What would you get out of this?" the child asked slowly. Whatever answer he was expecting, he didn't get it.

Koga just shrugged, saying "I'm bored here. Taking you on as my apprentice and leaving the village would be fun." He looked at Naruto, serious for once. The expression Koga had when he was serious was kind of scary, really. He looked… old. Dead. Like a zombie that wasn't rotting. "And… You're basically my son. You have no future when your entire past is here." Naruto looked at his adoptive father. The only one he had ever had. And he nodded. Both got to their feet, and, as they were leaving the village, Naruto groaned "You could guilt trip a sociopath."

*Hours later*

Hiruzen Sarutobi burst through the doors of the council chamber, unfathomable rage flowing off of him in waves.

"Where is he?!" he roared, at the only person in the room, a scarred man with most of the right side of his body wrapped in bandages; Danzo. When the council chamber wasn't in use, Danzo used it as his office, despite Hiruzen's orders not to.

Really, the aged Hokage didn't know why he let the man live. He only got in the way, opposing Hiruzen on everything, then whining like a child, when he didn't get his way.

Danzo looked honestly shocked at the question. "Where is who?" he asked, slightly nervous that the Hokage had found out about his plans. Countless as they were, one slip up could put them all on permanent hold. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Hiruzen bit back another fit of rage; Danzo may not have known Naruto was gone, but he was involved somehow. "… Komodo!" he growled. In an instant, a tall, muscular man wearing a black and white mask patterned like a lizard's face stood next to the Hokage.

The man, Komodo, as he had been titled, wore the standard ANBU armor, but with a pale gray scale pattern, and, in place of the standard issue katana, a three foot long curved sword with a serrated edge in the center of the cutting edge and oblong holes in the flat of the blade.

"Hai, Hokage-sama?" he replied, in a cold, far off voice. Danzo's eye widened visibly at the lizard masked ANBU's arrival. Hiruzen noticed, but didn't let it show. Everyone was scared of Komodo, even his fellow ANBU, because of his more violent urges. Recently they had come under control, but he could still be unstable if the situation called for it. Danzo was afraid one of the two would decide the situation "called for it".

"…Take Danzo to the holding cells," was all Hiruzen said, before turning and walking out, a small smirk on his face.

"Gladly," Komodo intoned. He pulled his sword from its holster. "Let's go. Wouldn't want too much..." He paused, and Danzo could have sworn the man was licking his lips. "…Bloodshed, before my friend gets a hold of you."

* * *

There's the first chapter. Review it, flame if you want, but give me feedback.


	2. Chapter 2: Fragile minded

Okay, the updates for this will be kind of random. The Naruto parts of this chapter seemed a little forced to me, so they may suck a little. The real point in this was to introduce a few of the main OCs in the story, and near the beginning it will follow the biggest one of them. Anyway, here it is.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or any of the characters from it, or anything, really. I only own my OCs.

*Seven years later*

A cold breeze swept through Konoha, causing the people in the streets to shudder and hasten their pace as they continued towards their destinations. A tall sixteen year old boy glanced up at the sudden chill, his inky black hair blown away from his metallic gray eyes by the gust. He heaved an exhausted sigh, before getting to his feet. People stared at the tribal markings spider-webbing across his torso and arms, but he ignored them. They meant nothing to him, and they never would. He cracked his black leather clad knuckles, before walking off towards the middle of the village. His knee-length trench coat fluttered around him in the wind, as if mimicking its owner's mood.

Kootetsu Ayatori wasn't a happy person on the best of days, but when the weather was bad, he was even more irritated. People made him angry, and made a big deal out of a little cold air, like it was freaking genocide out of nowhere!

He ground his teeth as a burly man in a blue plaid shirt and dark blue overalls bumped past him. The man turned towards Kootetsu, shouting something about an "inconsiderate brat", but was silenced by a single, ice cold glare from the boy.

"You wanna end up dead, prick?" Kootetsu hissed. His eyes narrowed as the man said nothing. "Huh?"

The man stuttered for a few seconds, before he shook his head and rushed off. Kootetsu chuckled dryly as people fled from him. Insects. The word just came into his thoughts. No reason for it, except that the people ran from him like cockroaches from the light bulb in an old diner. He was use to things like that, though. A genetic case of multiple personality disorder did that. People just couldn't accept it. No one could.

Kootetsu stopped himself; a mental rant to himself wasn't really high on his list of things to do. Neither was lighting up his fourth cigarette in as many hours, but it still happened. His other half wasn't someone he wanted to deal with, day or night. He was just another annoying voice to put up with.

"Talking with myself already," Kootetsu murmured, thin wisps of smoke curling out of his mouth, being swept into oblivion by the breeze. "Damn psychologists would have a fucking field day with me." He exhaled a cloud of smoke from his nose, and that was blown away as well.

What seemed like moments later, Kootetsu was walking through the halls of the Academy, the taste of his last smoke still clinging to his tongue, even though he had tossed the charred butt away at the door. As he opened the door of his classroom, three things made themselves known; it was the day of team assignments, someone was shouting, and there was a strange kid with blonde hair in his seat. The first thing he knew, and only remembered because he needed the information. The second was evident upon entering the room, and in an instant Kootetsu knew who was yelling: Kiba Inuzuka, the class idiot and self appointed rival of Kootetsu's. But the third thing was what Kootetsu really cared about. Whoever was in his way, Kootetsu would take them out. Plain and simple.

That was what he had grown up knowing; take what you want before someone else does. The streets were a dangerous place for an eight year old, and even more so in Konoha. The people he hated, the ones he felt nothing towards, had taken everything from him. Not the Kyuubi, like they said. They, themselves, had brought about their destruction. And when he had first realized that, he had laughed. Not for long, but he had laughed.

But, the prospect of another with that chosen moral was slightly hopeful. Another person that Kootetsu would actually possibly be able to trust. Another born thief, or assassin, or whatever the blonde boy was, to give the voice something new to talk about.

That brought a new thought; just what _was_ the blonde capable of? Kootetsu looked him over quickly, and sighed. Internally, as no one knew him to ever be even remotely negative. He couldn't read the blonde by just looking at him. Kootetsu could tell that the new arrival was a swordsman, from the katana on his hip, and used wind and fire elemental techniques most often, because of the particular flavor of the chakra residue on him, but that was it.

The boy was tall, about Kootetsu's height, putting him at 5'9", and thin, but muscular; a dancer's build. His blonde hair hung down past his shoulders in a waterfall of spikes, and he had sapphire blue eyes shot through with slivers of crimson. He wore an orange and gray dress shirt, which Kootetsu found odd above everything else, and dark blue cargo pants, all under a black cloak that hung to the floor. The boy's feet were hidden by the desks.

"Kootetsu-san. I'm surprised you managed to drag yourself out of bed this morning and grace us with your presence," Iruka, the instructor for Kootetsu's class, drawled, sarcasm coating his words. Kootetsu almost snapped at the scarred man, but managed to hold his tongue, replacing the incomplete scowl with an idiotic smile.

"Sorry, Iruka-sensei. It was just that the blinds were closed, so I thought it was still the middle of the night," he lied, substituting a soft, laughing voice for his usual low growl. Iruka bought the load of garbage being fed to him without a second thought, then continued with what he was saying.

As Kootetsu was walking away, a scowl was slashed across his face, and he almost tore a hole in his coat pocket when he realized he was out of cigarettes.

Naruto stared at the boy that had just entered. Kootetsu. He had to remind himself that the boy's name was Kootetsu. A blind man would have noticed the straight lies he was throwing around like leaves in a hurricane, as well as the fake expressions to go along with them. But Naruto got the feeling that Kootetsu wasn't trying to be covert about it. He was just naturally pulling on a façade to hide his emotions, and Naruto had to give him credit for that. Naruto himself would have had trouble with such a quick personality switch, and he had learned from the best person in Konoha at the time.

He had never actually been good at lying about his emotions, unless he deemed the situation necessary, for whatever reason. Masks were only so good for so long. Then they were just dead weight. Koga had drilled that into his head, purposely making it the first thought Naruto would have if he was found out during a reconnaissance mission. Koga was an expert in psychology, but he lacked the killer instinct Naruto had.

Kootetsu took a seat in the back row, propping his feet on the desk and leaning back in his chair. Either Iruka didn't notice, or didn't care. Either way, he continued listing off teams.

Iruka had reached Team Five when Naruto became aware of a presence to his right. Looking over, he saw a girl with black hair streaked with red and blonde staring at him. She smiled slightly, and Naruto, after a few seconds of thought, returned it. The girl smirked, then turned back to the front of the class.

"Team Six will consist of Naruto Uzumaki, Rika Shibumi, and Kootetsu Ayatori," Iruka read. From the back row, the words "Shit, fuck!" erupted in Kootetsu's voice. Naruto chuckled as he noticed how easily the boy lost his composure. Again, the presence to Naruto's right appeared, and again, the blonde looked, this time to see the girl staring at him curiously.

"Naruto?" she mouthed, smiling when she received a nod in response. He guessed the girl was Rika. She was too curious about him to be anyone else. Most people who got too involved in Naruto's business seemed to end up missing, or injured… or, usually, worse.

" Team 7 will be Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, and Sai, under Jonin Hatake Kakashi," Iruka continued.

Naruto glanced up, looking around to see the people Iruka was talking about. Sasuke Uchiha was obvious enough. Coal black eyes, matching hair in the shape of a duck's ass, slightly pale skin, and an aura of unsurpassed arrogance. He wore a blue shirt with his clan symbol on the back, which was what gave him away, and khaki shorts. Naruto grimaced, mostly from the boy's stupidity. The Uchiha should have known that somewhere, or, in this case, everywhere, there was someone stronger that wanted the Sharingan, and had no problem killing him to get it.

Sakura Haruno was easy to find as well. Pink hair. Emerald green eyes. A fan girl in a kunoichi's clothes. That was all Naruto needed to see to know her weakness. Crushing her idol would be like cutting off her air supply. It would devastate her, leave her useless, if she wasn't already. Some very forward part of Naruto's personality looked forward to that accomplishment.

Koga had told Naruto that the Uchiha would be stuck with a fan girl and a ringer. That was easy to see, as Sai was nowhere to be found. A ROOT division ANBU, with highly developed skills in… unusual, ninjutsu, was all that came to mind at the name.

The blonde narrowed his eyes. The council still worshipped bloodlines, as they always had. It sickened him.

As he glanced over the rest of his "rivals", he noticed that he was wrong; the council only wanted control of the Sharingan. Team 8's members were a testament to that. Shino Aburame was silent, his eyes hidden by small black sunglasses, and his mouth hidden by the collar of a beige coat that was buttoned up as far as it would go. Multiple chakra signatures were evident around him, though their sources were invisible to the blonde. Insects. It wasn't a derogatory label in this case. It was a guess. Or, more accurately, a memory of Konoha bloodlines that didn't click well with Shino's appearance.

Next to him was a short girl, with dark blue hair, pale lavender eyes, and almost paper white skin. She wore an exceedingly loose beige jacket, and tight, dark blue ninja pants. Hinata Hyuuga. If what the files he stole were correct, as they often were, then she had some serious family problems. But Naruto could fix that. From Hinata's psyche evaluation, she was… well, in simple terms, "more loyal than a starving dog." That would probably end up useful at a later date.

Kiba Inuzuka was sitting in the back row. He wore a gray parka, with fur lining the inside of the hood, and black track pants. He was shouting something at Kootetsu, who was ignoring it to the best of his mind's ability. Naruto could tell it wouldn't last long; Kootetsu, despite his seemingly endless supply of control over his emotions as a whole, probably didn't have much patience when only one aspect of himself was involved.

"Team 9 will be Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Chouji, and Yamanaka Ino, under Jonin Sarutobi Asuma," Iruka finished, receiving a loud whine of protest from a slender blonde girl. This, seemingly, counted as the entire team's response, since no one else said anything.

Iruka dropped the paper back down on the desk. "When your sensei arrives, you're their problem."

He turned to leave, opening the door just as someone on the other side grabbed the knob. Someone much stronger than Iruka, seeing as he was thrown back by the door flinging open.

The man that entered was short, compared to Naruto. He couldn't have been taller than 5"6'. But his presence terrified almost everyone. Almost, because Naruto simply didn't care, Kootetsu really wasn't scared of anyone, Rika knew the man, Sasuke thought he could handle anyone, and Sakura and Ino thought Sasuke would protect them if the man decided to start killing people.

Naruto wouldn't have been surprised if it had happened like that. The man looked like he hadn't slept for days. He wore an open leather jacket, a gray muscle shirt, black leather pants, and dark gray and white tennis shoes. His orange-yellow eyes glided past everyone, as if he were looking through them. Despite his exhausted posture, the man's auburn hair was gelled into perfect spikes, even though it looked like he had tried to smooth it back after the gel had set. A long, strangely tapered blade hung from his right hip. The blade was as black as tar, as was the handle. The only thing that wasn't that color was the hand guard, which jutted straight out from the base of the blade, turning down two inches out and continuing the length of the handle. That appeared to be made of brushed silver.

"… Team six," he called. He sounded as if he had been smoking for as long as he was alive. But, when Naruto looked closely, the man's teeth weren't stained like they would have been. Kootetsu and Rika were already halfway to the door. Naruto hadn't seen them get up, but followed them, regardless.

Outside the room, with the door closed, the man looked them over skeptically."… My name is Spice Conzel," he rasped. "Don't bother telling me your names. I already know all three of them. And that's all I will know, until you pass the real exam. Follow me to Training Ground 16." With that, he was gone in a cloud of smoke.

"… What the fuck was that?"Kootetsu shouted, throwing his hands in the air.

"That was how Spice-sensei treats everyone he doesn't know well," Rika replied, a ghost of a smile playing across her lips.

"Rude as hell's what it is!" Kootetsu grumbled.

Naruto just laughed in his head. 'This is gonna be good. Entertaining, at the very least!'


	3. Chapter 3: Making the cut

I really don't have an excuse for the wait. I had most of it typed, and it got deleted when the computer had to be reset. Sorry for that.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

**Made of Glass**

**Chapter 3**

There was no wind in the large clearing that served as the training ground. In fact, the only thing that added to the scenery was a river, forming the southern border, and the four people standing at the water's edge.

Rika stood a few steps back from the others, her gaze fixed between the three of them. None of them seemed likely to move at this point, but she wasn't taking that chance.

Naruto was nearer, but still outside their sensei's reach; he knew Spice was, overall, more skilled than he was, and he wanted to the opportunity to gain some distance between the two of them.

Kootetsu was the closest to the Jounin, and seemed to be debating with himself whether or not that was the best course of action. He covered his indecisiveness with a glare.

Spice was, as he had been up to that point, expressionless. His face showed a bit more life as he started speaking. "You can follow orders. Good."

Kootetsu jumped, startled from his argument with his sense of self preservation.

"But, that will only be half of what you will need to survive as shinobi," the Jounin continued in his rasping voice.

Kootetsu took several steps back, before he tried arguing. "What could be so dangerous this damned early?"

Naruto, at that moment, decided to classify Kootetsu as an idiot. The first rule of not getting your lack of knowledge insulted was not to display it yourself.

Kootetsu's voice gained a few decibels. "We won't be doing much more than chores for the first few months!"

"I don't intend for you three to be stuck with D- rank assignments for more than five weeks," Spice explained. His eyebrow twitched. It wasn't even a centimeter, but the other two noticed. He would punish the boy for that. "But you'll progress past that. Quickly, if you take after your uncle. He taught you most of what you know, so I'll have to assume that you will be like him."

He looked towards Rika, with less distaste then Kootetsu warranted, but still unfavorably. "And you, Rika. Very few of your clan techniques would be considered 'Genin appropriate', and even fewer of your own techniques should even be used outside of life or death situations. Without those, your arsenal is severely crippled; you don't use Ninjutsu you learned from outside sources, you know very few Genjutsu, and your Taijutsu simply lacks power."

Naruto felt strangely unnerved as Spice looked at him, but the feeling left at his sensei's first few words.

"I know very little about you."

'Good. I draw too much attention as it is.'

"But I know your sensei. We were Genin together."

'Shit.'

Spice continued his line of thought. "And since he was your sensei, I know your skill set, to a point; sword techniques, kido, and the combat oriented Shunshin he used, Shunpo. It would not surprise me if you used very few, if any, Nin or Genjutsu."

Halfway through the part of the speech directed at him, Naruto realized something. Since he had met Spice, he had felt that something was…off. A strong aura hung about the man, comparable to Koga's, but vastly different. Koga's energy, reishi, whatever it was, felt almost toxic, when exerted in its full capacity. Spice seemed to exude heat, like a low burning furnace.

'Can he…? No. Koga said that there was no one else in Konoha who could use a zanpakuto.' He reassured himself with that thought, but he still had his doubts. Koga was lazy, and tended to forget important details.

"I know what all of you can do, to an extent, and it clashes horribly." Spice droned on, as if he was purposely interrupting the blonde's thoughts. "You're going to show me what you can do. Come at me with the intent to kill, or you'll be ground down."

The three Genin looked shocked, to varying degrees. Naruto was wary, his right hand gripping the hilt of his sword. He had been expecting this, and now that the time had come, he knew he wasn't ready.

Rika was apprehensive, and, almost reflexively, moved into a defensive stance next to Naruto. The wide cuffs of her dancer-styled leggings swept along the ground, leaving a cloud of dust around her feet. She was even more aware of Spice's superiority than her blonde teammate was, but she also knew that if they outnumbered him, they had a better chance.

Kootetsu frowned, knowing he would be in pain soon, and drew two identical swords from his coat. They were short, and looked more like they were broken; three feet long, made of polished copper, with no hand guards and slanted tips. 'He's gonna make sure he beats my ass, I know it,' he grumbled. 'And then Rokusho-oji's gonna beat my ass for yelling at Spice-sensei… Today is just NOT my fucking day!'

Spice looked up at the sky for a moment, before finishing his speech. "You have until sunset to incapacitate me." His hand moved to his hip. "Begin."

Kootetsu had thought Spice was going for his sword. He was wrong. On instinct, he had charged and swung, first from above, then horizontally, when it was sidestepped. The Jounin had stepped back, out of the blade's reach, then back in, too close for Kootetsu to block, and back handed him out of the clearing. But not before quoting a lesson the Academy had taught from the beginning.

"Keep your guard up. It hurts less for your arms to crack than for your nose to break."

That was what had led up to this situation; Kootetsu, upside down with his back against a tree, trying to pop his nose back into place.

"I am going to beat the SHIT out of you when I get my hands on you!" Each word was emphasized by a twist of his nose, and a loud, pained noise.

Rika and Naruto looked through the hole their teammate had made in the foliage, then at each other.

"…Should we wait for him to get up?"Rika asked uncertainly.

"…No… No, he'd just be angry that we didn't take advantage of the opening he got us," Naruto replied slowly. "We should just see what we can do on our own."

The two straightened up, turning to face their enemy.

"I'll lead," the swordsman decided, to no objection. His first goal seemed easy. Get to Spice, and keep his attention. But that was much easier said than done.

A few steps carried him to mid-range, but that wouldn't be close enough. The same motion, but faster, got him to the right distance. That was where the trouble was.

Spice was halfway into his first punch before Naruto even knew what was happening. A knee jerk reaction saved him from Kootetsu's fate, though it would have been much worse for him. As the man pulled back from the first strike, a wave of heat overcame the blonde's right cheek. Spice's hand opened enough for it to curl back up for a palm strike.

The middle of his hand was glowing like an ember, and it was aimed straight at Naruto's jaw. Another reflexive dodge saved the blonde from the impact, but he still caught the heat, like half of his face was being scorched from the bone.

"**Honoo Matsuri** (Blaze Festival)!" Rika's heel slammed into Spice's forearm, the heat from her technique distorting the air around it. Her hands clamped down on wrist, twisting her entire body in a full circle, before bringing the top of her foot, coated in flames, into the side of Spice's head. "And **Honoo Jiku** (Blaze Axle)!"

The man was thrown from his feet, sailing a few yards through the air, before skidding to a halt.

Rika landed softly on the balls of her feet. Smirking, she looked back at Naruto. "How about _I _lead?"

The blonde boy nodded, a bit numbly, before looking to where their sensei had landed.

"I have to admit. That was impressive, Rika," Spice commented. He gingerly felt the burnt portion of his face. "I don't believe I've seen that technique before, either." Almost half of his face was blackened and flaking, but the unmistakable intent of satisfaction was there. He formed a few hand seals at his chest level, and in a moment his hand was coated in pale green light. He laid the hand over his wound, the charred skin reverting to normal as the light passed over it, leaving his face in its usual emotionless state seconds later.

"Now… Naruto. Do you intend to let her do all your fighting in the future?"

'I knew that wouldn't last long,' the ex-Jinchuuriki mused. "No, sir. I just thought that the point of this test was teamwork," he said aloud.

Spice looked like he would show some ghost of satisfaction again, but he didn't. "No. The point of the test is to see whether or not you are competent as a fighter. Rika caught me off guard. She will pass. You looked as though you were trying to fight me, but were overpowered. Your strategy was sound, but not enough. You could succeed, given time or resources. Kootetsu, though… I believe he is hopeless, or at least too easily angered to try strategizing like you have."

"You can go to hell!" Kootetsu shouted from where he was standing, on top of the river. "I'll drown your asses!"

"As I said, too easily angered," their sensei murmured.

Kootetsu performed a chain of seals, ending with both his arms outstretched and his fingers splayed. "**Suiton: Umi Kemono** (Water Release: Sea Beast)!"

Naruto dove to the side, carrying Rika with him. Spice simply watched, still unmoved.

Moments later, nothing happened. A few more moments later, still, nothing happened.

'….Well, shit,' Naruto sighed. "I thought that would be more eventful."

"Yeah… So did I," Rika added. "Now… Could you let me go?"

Naruto paused for a moment, before realizing he still had his arms around the girl. Without a word, he released her.

"… Dammit, that was supposed to work!" Kootetsu shouted, before kicking the water beside him. "Today has just been one giant mind fuck, from beginning to end!"

"Stop complaining. You have three hours left, and none of you have so much as left a scratch on me. I suggest you come up with a plan, or all three of you will be sent back to the Academy."

All three Genin stopped, looking at their sensei curiously. For a solid minute, there was silence, before Kootetsu broke it.

"…Beat the shit out of him!" he ordered, not waiting for an answer as he jumped for his target.

"Should…Should we help him?" Rika asked, as uncertain as she had been before.

"This time, I don't think we have a choice," was Naruto's reply.

Again, the two of them charged at Spice, who had finally drawn his sword, locking blades with Kootetsu.

Rika leapt up, spinning as she came down, her left foot engulfed in flames. "**Honoo Matsuri!**"

Naruto stepped to Spice's right, out of range of Rika's attack, mumbling as he ran. "_The hero rests his head, flames of war dying as embers, the thunder cuts the sea. The earth spits back the dead, and the sky roars_._" _ He stopped next to his sensei, pointing his open palm at the man. "**Hado #27: Hoshi Niramu** (Hado #27: Star Glare)!" A pale red pinprick of light glowed in his hand, widening to engulf the two in front of him.

Closing his fist, Naruto stepped back. Only to see a wall of stone.

"…Perfect," Spice rasped. "That was what I meant by competence." The wall sank back into the ground, showing Spice, holding Rika's leg with one hand and his sword with the other, blocking all three attacks. "You pass. All three of you." He released Rika's still burning limb, and pulled his weapon out of the deadlock with Kootetsu.

"Okay, now you're REALLY starting to piss me off!" Kootetsu shouted, but he sheathed his swords. "I made a fool of myself for nothing! That's what you just told me!"

Spice, for his or Kootetsu's dignity, didn't respond. "Return here at nine A.M. tomorrow morning."

"Hang on, jack ass! You still have a few questions to answer!"

Neither of Kootetsu's teammates stayed to listen to him shouting profanities. Neither did their teacher, for that matter. "I have to report to the Hokage" was his only farewell.

Spice stood around the Hokage's desk, along with the other Jounin that had been given teams that year. Looking around, he recognized a few faces, but only three names.

There was a silver haired man, wearing the normal Jounin outfit, but with a cloth pulled up over the lower half of his face, and his headband over his left eye. He was currently reading a worn orange book, and gaining a glare from two or three people. Hatake Kakashi, if Spice remembered right.

The Hokage's son, Sarutobi Asuma, was to Spice's left, his ever present cigarette strangely absent. The younger Sarutobi was almost identical to his father, save the sash Asuma wore, from his time guarding the Daimyo, and his bandana. Spice had talked to Asuma, once or twice, and he had seemed likable enough.

The last familiar face, and the only female Spice recognized, was a pale, dark haired woman, with ruby colored eyes. She wore a peculiar dress, which seemed to be made of white ribbons with black markings. He paused for a few seconds, tying to remember her name. He snapped his fingers, mentally, as it registered. Her name was Yuuhi Kurenai. She was a new Jounin, and probably took on a team as a way of testing herself. She was glaring the hardest at Kakashi, almost like she was willing to choke him on principal.

"I'm not optimistic about his, as I have been before," Hiruzen began.

Spice immediately snapped to attention. Old habits die hard, even if they aren't necessarily bad.  
"Report," the elderly man ordered.

Someone stepped forward. "Team 1 failed. Horribly."

It went on like that for a while. "Team 2 would die in a heartbeat." "Team 3….Oh, for the love of God, one of them didn't know which way to point the freaking kunai!" "Team 4 might work out next year." "Team 5 was just a nightmare."

"…Well, Kakashi-san? How did your team fare?"

Kakashi put his book in his back pocket, marking his page carefully, before speaking. "Well, Sasuke and Sai worked perfectly together, somehow. Sakura, though… I say they pass, but I doubt they'll be ready for more than D-ranks anytime soon."

Hiruzen nodded, before moving on. Spice didn't complain. He was always last.

"And Team 8?"

Kurenai thought for a moment, before she gave her report. "They passed, fairy easily. Hinata Hyuuga seems to be the weak link, but I should be able to catch her up quickly enough."

Again, a nod, before the Hokage proceeded. "Asuma?"

"They work perfectly together. Their reactions are a bit slow, but that's probably from inexperience. They should be ready for the Chunin exams by the time they roll around."

The other three had left by the time Spice was told to give his report.

"So, how did they fare?" Hiruzen was expecting Team 6 to fail, mostly because of Spice's high standards, but also because there were only two Genin with any sort of notes in their records on that team; the Shibumi girl, and Komodo's nephew.

The faintest smirk played on Spice's lips, before he answered. "They're going to make a mark in the world," he replied. "They passed. Flawlessly."

Well, it's done. I hope this is good, but… Yeah. Next chapter will be out as soon as I can get it done. Next time, D- Rank missions, Kootetsu's Kryptonite.


	4. Chapter 4: Testing waters

Okay... This is the chapter that I've gotten done. The wait was ungodly, I know, but I've been getting used to living on my own, and couldn't find time to write. The next few updates are going to come much faster than this one...

"Speech"

_"Thought/Named attacks"_

**"Demons/zanpakuto"**

-page break-

It was 9:30, by Naruto's watch. He didn't know how accurate it was, but Spice was late, that was certain.

"I say we leave for breakfast. Let the jackass wait," Kootetsu suggested. He had said himself that he was still angry about his nose being broken, so neither of his teammates spared it any attention.

"I think we should wait a little longer," Rika countered. "Sensei would be angry if we left early."

Thinking about it, Naruto decided that Rika admired Spice. She seemed to care far more what the man thought of her than either of her teammates did.

"We should try to practice our taijutsu or something," she continued.

Kootetsu frowned. "You dumbasses can stay. I didn't get to have breakfast." ithout waiting for a reply, he turned back towards the center of the village and started walking.

"... I don't think he's coming back..." Naruto said in a matter-of-fact voice.

"No, he'll be back," Rika replied. "If not, Spice-sensi will have us go after him."

"That's what I'm afraid of..." the blonde muttered. Rika seemed to hear him, as a small smirk quirked her lips, but she said nothing. She just kept that courteous, semi-cheerful expression. It was, actually, pretty unnerving. "So... What should we do?" Naruto looked at her. "If we're going to train, I'll go along, but I won't hold back."

Rika looked at him curiously for amoment, one eyebrow raised, before an almost predatory ggrin broke out over her face. "Great!"

The bloodthirsty look was gone so quickly, Naruto thought he had imagined it. Now, the girl's expression was one of innocent anticapation.

"Now I won't have to hold back, either! Usually, the people I spar with are afraid they'll hurt me, or they don't have a chance anyway!"

_"She's a friggin' psycho! But Koga was worse half the time..." _He wasn't going to say that. Someone would kill him, if Rika didn't. What he did say was far safer for him. "Alright, then. Give me a minute." He walked past her, toward a few rocks piled near the edge of the clearing. He took his sword from his hip, leaving it in the scabbard, and laid it almost apologetically against the pile. "Sorry about this," he whispered, far too quietly for Rika to hear. "It's just for a little while." He turned, walking back. 'Fickle bastard. Or... Whatever it is.'

Rika was staring at him curiously, but seemed to be sated when thr blonde said "I'll tell you later. Or, you can ask Spice". "Well, are you ready to get started?" she inquired.

Naruto inhaled slowly, then let it out in a rush. "How are we doing this? Straight taijutsu, everything we've got, what?" To his shock, Rika looked stumped for a few seconds. "Um, taijutsu and ninjutsu, I guess." She was answered with a nod.

"Then I need another minute." Naruto formed three handseals, then stopped. "... How did it go again?... Oh, that was it..." He shook his hands out, then formed the same three seals, followed by a fourth. He stood in that pose for a few seconds. A sweatdrop formed on the side of Rika's head, causing it to tilt slightly.

"... Alright, let's go," Naruto said after a few more seconds. Rika shook her head, before sliding into her fighting stance; feet spread slightly further than normal, arms held out a bit, putting her weight on her back leg. Her blonde teammate lowered himself to almost a crouch, his fingertips on the ground a few inches in front of his feet. Rika blinked, slightly surprised by the boy's stance.

_"Come on, go!" _Naruto heard it in the back of his mind. That was the small amount of impatient violence he had picked up from Koga. _"Stomp her out, dammit!" "Shut up," _Naruto growled. He'd ignore it, easily enough. The blonde breathed in deeply, then exhaled, slowly, to focus himself. Focus on her.

In the next instant. she was gone. _"She's fast," _the blonde noted. _"But she's too obvious." _He could fel the heat from her attack, coming from above. He slid back, out of her range, and rose up to swing at her. He wouldn't be able to hit her; her legs were longer than his arms, and she could dodge in the air. He needed her to try and force a hit. At that moment, she came into his field of vivson.

Naruto shifted his weight, putting as much force as he could into the punch. It was a miss, he knew, but he needed it to look real. And it did. She reacted the way he had expected, grabbing his outstretched arm and using it to redirect her momentum. He had control now, for a few seconds, and he would capitalize on it. The way she'd moved implied she would attack his left side. That left him a few seconds to counter.

He twisted his hand, grabbing Rika's wrist, and yanked her, forcefully, towards himself. Her chest hit against his shoulder, with a bit more force than he had intended, if the sound of Rika's breath leaving her was any indication. That was a welcome event, caused by straying from his usual tactic of careful, measured combat. What wasn't welcome was Rika's hands gripping his shoulders, followed by the girl using his knee as a springboard to flip over his head.

Naruto's feet left the ground at the same time Rika's touched it, and he continued in that path until she released him, sending him hurtling at a large tree. He pulled his chakra into his lungs, expelling it as a blast of razor sharp air. The tree was reduced to splinters at the point of impact, everything above it knocked aside by the force of the blast. The blonde turned ion the air, sticking to the newly-made stump with a second pulse of chakra.

Rika crossed her arms, smirking approvingly. "You're pretty quick on your feet," she commented.

"Yeah..." Naruto grumbled, before going through a chain of seals. "Now it's your turn to run." He inhaled again, focusing a larger amount of chakra into his lungs. _"Fuuton:Kamisori shotto." _(Wind release: Razor Shot) The charged air forced itself out of his body, as if he'd been kneed in the stomach. The ground immediately in front of him tore loose, the jutsu barrelling towards Rika.

Rika crouched, before jumping over her teammate's ninjutsu as flames enveloped her feet. Naruto looked up at her as he formed another chain of seals. _"Tiger, dragon, horse, boar..." _Chakra surged in his lungs again as he inhaled, drawing Rika's fire in. A shocked expression came over the girl's face as the blonde spat the fire back at her. She twisted mid-air, barely avoiding the counter-attack. She cointinued spinning, bringing her heel down as quickly as her momentum would let her.

Naruto blocked with his forearms. The tree stump cracked loudly as the force passed through him. He was fairly sure his arms would have broken, if he hadn't been reinforcing his limbs with chakra. He shifted his weight, letting his hands slide down to grip her calf as he swung her in a half circle.

"That's enough," Spice said, just loud enough for them to hear. Naruto immediately stopped, letting Rika go as the momentum ran out. The girl stood as Naruto retrieved his sword. Spice looked between them, then said, with no emotion, "I take it Kootetsu left". Naruto and rika nodded as one.

Spice rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I find that easier to believe than I had hoped I would. Find him." He turned, nodding towards the village. :This will count as your first mission. I will make Hokage-sama aware of this." He disappeared in a cloud of black smoke.

Naruto sighed, taking a step towards the village. "You know them better," he said. "Are they always like this?"

"Afraid so," Rika answered. "You'll get used to sensei, once you've proven yourself. She started towards the village at an easy walk, Naruto trailing a few steps behind.

"And Kootetsu?"

"Is an ass, so don't bother being overly friendly."

-page break-

The teenager in question sighed loudly, lighting a cigarette and filling his lungs with the acrid smoke. He crumpled the empty packaging, stuffing it and the lighter in his pocket. He knew he had been running low recently, and had known he would run out today. That didn't surprise him. What had surprised him was that he had one cigarette left. Just one. He had a habit of smoking before a meal, which, in this case, might have been helpful. It still bothered him, though.

A few minutes later, as the cigarette burned out, his food was placed on the table. He dropped the butt into an ashtray on the table, thanked the waitress, and set to what he considered a holy task. _"I'll have to bring those two here sometime..." _he said to himself, biting into a fried shrimp. _"They might like it..." _ In all honesty, he wasn't sure if Rika or Naruto enjoyed tempura, nor did he care. It gave him an excuse to eat more of it. And, he supposed, nobody could complain that he wasn't trying to get to know his team.

His meal finished, Kootetsu left the restaraunt. Even though the food was cheap, he'd probably doubled the price with the tip. _"The waitress was cute," _he mused, as a way of justifying himself. He didn't keep all of his money with him, but he still had enough for a pack of cigarettes. He had time.

-page break-

"Alright, if I were Kootetsu... Nevermind, that won't work," Naruto muttered, stopping at the village center. "I only know three things about him, and only one will help..." He sat down on a bench, legs crossed, thinking. _"He smokes... Pissed off easily, and sucks at ninjutsu...Dammit, we shouldn't have split up..." _He kicked the dirt, sighing. "... I'm hungry..." he whined, more to himself. Something clicked in his head a moment later. The blonde stood, looking around for a restaraunt.

_"Twenty six restaraunts, and nothing..." _the ex-jinchuuriki said to himself, close to tears. _"If he didn't come here, I'm done looking..." _He sighed, looking up at a slightly higher-class looking reataraunt. It wasn't. The inside looked like a well kept bar. There was nobody there, that he could see, but if he'd been an hour earlier, there would have been a few patrons. He sighed loudly, walking through the restaraunt.

When he reached the back section, he realized he was wrong. There would have only been one customer. Who had dropped their lighter. It's flint was worn down to the point that it wasn't visible. A small trace of a slightly familiar chakra clung to it.

"Perfect," he muttered. He stuffed it in his pocket, turning and walking out the door.

-page break-

Rika looked over the village from where she sat, atop the Hokage Monument. She had combed over the village at least twice, and still had no clue as to where her teammate had gone. _"Bastard probablt went home and fell asleep," _she said to herself, clenching her fists in annoyance. _"Lazy jackass..." _She wouldn't admit that she was possibly just as lazy as he was. But she was too greedy and driven to let herself waste time like he did, so she doubted it.

"Shouldn't you be working to complete your mission?" She looked back, frowning when she noticed Spice watching her. "You only have until sunset. At that time, I will find him myself."

Rika sighed, standing. "I know, sensei," she muttered, before walking down the path to the village. Spice nodded once, before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

"So, where would I be if..." Rika stopped that train of thought. She had tried it earlier, and had spent almost an hour wandering, trying to complete it. :Okay, better question... How would he avoid us?" That question was a bit easier to answer. Kootetsu would eat, buy cigarettes, as was his habit, then go back to the least likely place for someone to look.

Rika's eye twitched. "That bastard..." she muttered, taking off towards the training grounds.

-page break-

Kootetsu had been in the same tree for almost an hour. He lit up his second cigarette, inhaling deeply, before blowing it out in a stream.

"I can't believe they haven't found me yet..." he muttered. "Sensei's not looking..." He sat up, looking around. "I know that... That Naruto guy is disappointing, though..." He dropped down, landing softly. "Guess he's just fight-" He was cut off by a heel slamming into the back of his head. He flipped a few times, ending up face down in a bush. "Ow, damn it..." he groaned, struggling to get out of the bush and failing spectacularly.

An instant later, he was lifted by the collar of his coat. How Rika was holding him off the ground -when he was around six inches taller than she was-was a mystery to him. Despite his pride, Kootetsu would admit that the girl's glare was unnerving.

"Where the hell did you go?!" Rika shouted, dropping her teammate. She stepped off the rock she had been on, putting her at normal height.

Kootetsu shook his head, sitting up slowly. "Breakfast, cigarettes, tree," he answered. He pointed to the tree he had been in. "You suck at tracking," he added bluntly. He recieved an equally blunt kick to the stomach. "Guess you're not in the mood for small talk..."

"Get to the mission office, idiot," Rika ordered. She turned, walking back down the path to the village. Kootetsu blinked, then stood up, dusted himself off, and followed.

-page break-

Naruto looked up from the book in his hands, narrowing his eyes. He wasn't sure what it was about, and he was halfway through, so it could wait. He closed it, stuffing it in his pocket, and removed Kootetsu's lighter. As the blonde stood, his teammates came into view. He thought, for a moment, that Kootetsu was a few moments from being dragged by the ear. Without a word, he fell into step beside Rika.

"Aren't you guys forgetting the shackles?" Kootetsu called. Rika growled, reaching into her pocket. A moment later, she threw a small metal ball at him, hitting him between the eyes. Kootetsu stumbled, holding his face, but kept his pace. Rika smirked when she heard her teammate muttering about a nosebleed.

"... So, where was he?" Naruto asked, when he couldn't stand the silence. Barely a minute had passed. He hated quiet.

"At the training ground," Rika answered. "He had allen asleep in a tree." Kootetsu didn't bother contradicting her.

Five minutes later, they were standing in the mission office. Spice looked between the three of them, then nodded. "You took too long," he said. "If Kootetsu were trying to escape, he would very easily be halfway out of the country."

Rika bowed, muttering a "Sorry, sensei". Naruto blinked, then bowed as well, but said nothing. Kootetsu looked down slightly, avoiding his teracher's eyes.

Spice took two slips of paper from the counter. "Naruto. Rika." The two looked up. "This is your payment." He held out his hand. "Your assignment until sundown is to familiarize yourselves with with your teammates' cpabilities. Meet at the training grounds tomorrow at the same time." All three genin nodded. Spice shunshin'd out of the room in a cloud of embers.

"... Damn, he's weird," Kootetsu said after a moment. Again, Rika kicked him in the ribs.

-page break-

A short walk later, they had returned to the training grounds. Naruto sat on a rock, Rika taking a seat against a tree, while Kootetsu just dropped in the middle of the clearing.

"So... How should this go?" Naruto asked. Rika looked at Kootetsu, who sighed.

"Guess I'll go first, in place of another ass kicking..." The swordsman muttered. "You've seen all I've got, except for a few Doton techniques, and a couple of tricks... And one medical jutsu, but it's too slow to be useful." He lit a cigarette, inhaling slowly. "Anything special, blondy?"

Despite himself, Naruto almost felt offended. He yawned, looking up at the trees. "Kenjutsu, a few special ninjutsu, a handful of katon jutsu, and the wind technique I used earlier... Shunpo, but that's nothing special... And a bit more with my sword, eventually..." He shrugged. It wasn't far from the truth, even if his tammates would have no idea what kido was. He looked at Rika, who cleared her throat.

"I have my family's taijutsu," she began. "Which is pretty much a kick-heavy goken. Katon jutsu, ninpou, and I'm good with wires." Rika counted off on her fingers for a moment. "Oh, and three or four genjutsu," she added.

Kootetsu looked at Naruto, hiding a smirk. "Want to test out anything?" he asked.

Naruto sighed. "No, but you do..." He stood, one hand on his zanpakuto's hilt.

Rika backed away, jumping into a tree as Kootetsu got up. "I should have expected this..." she muttered, sitting against the tree's trunk.

Kootetsu inhaled deeply, filling his lungs with smoke. He started forming handseals, stopping with his fists clenched together. _"Ninpou: Makiri no jutsu." _As he exhaled, the smoke seemed to expand, forming a thick fog in the cleraring.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. The fog _did_ limit his sight, but not by much. He opened his mouth to talk, breathing in out of habit, and immediately started coughing. He wasn't sure why it surprised him, but the fog was almost entirely tobacco smoke. He put his sleeve over his mouth, ducking just in time to avoid the back of Kootetsu's fist. The blonde growled, grabbing his teammate's ankle and turning with all his weight. Kootetsu fell forward and caught himself, rolling forward to avoid an attack that wasn't coming. Naruto had gotten out of the fog, coughing to clear his lungs, then turned to face the toxic cloud.

Kootetsu sighed, keeping close to the ground as he drew his swords. The smoke didn't bother him; he was used to it, and it was his technique, anyway. His sight was his main sense, though, and he couldn't see through it. _"Where'd he..."_ He stopped thnat thought, rushing at the blonde as soon as his legs came into view.

few seconds later, he was knocked off his feet by a blast of air. He rolled a few feet, stopping in a crouch, and looked up just in time to block Naruto's sword. Kootetsu would admit that the blonde was stronger than he looked, as far as physical power went. For a moment, the black haired boy's eyes moed along his opponent's weapon. It was a mostly normal looking, though rather ornate, katana.

"Why doesn't your sword have a guard?" he asked. That was the only thing out of place. There wasn't even a place for one; just the blade connecting to the hilt.

"My katana is special," Naruto answered, not bothering to be discreet about dodging the question. "It even has a name, but you won't find out until I get in over my head."

Kootetsu let out a sound somewhere between a growl and a sigh, slashing at his teammate. He repeated the sound when he was blocked, almost effortlessly. He kept slashing, growing steadily angrier as he continued making no progress. The black haired boy stepped back, before smashing his swords together, hitting nothing.

Naruto sighed quietly, forming a few handseals, then stopping. He didn't have any actual ninjutsu that didn't run the risk of killing Kootetsu, either by blood loss, broken bones, or just burning. Instead, he put his palm against his opponent's back. _"Hado #7. Sanken," _he said calmly. The spell shot forward as a triangular wall of force, throwing Kootetsu off his feet and into the bushes again.

Rika frowned, watching the two. She had been feeling for their chakra signatures, trying to memorize them and guage their reserves. Naruto's last technique had used no chakra, but that wasn't what bothered her. His chakra seemed to be regenerating, almost as fast as he used it. That bothered her, but it was also definitely unique. "I'll mention it to sensei..."she muttered, then spoke louder. "I'm going home," she called, nodding to the rapidly setting sun. Naruto nodded once, glancing up at her. Kootetsu crawledout of the bush, grumbling about psychics. Rika leapt off towards the village.

"So, are you done?" Naruto asked, turning back to his male teammate.

"Asshole..." Kootetsu muttered. "You won't beat me next time..." He stood, dusting himself off, and started towards the village, trying to hide a limp. Naruto sighed, following him slowly, avoiding making his presence known as best he could.

-page break-

Ten minutes later, Kootetsu was sitting in his apartment, a cigarette in his mouth and a bowl of microwave ramen on the counter beside him. He had pulled up a stool, to keep weight off of his leg. His ankle was at least twisted, and he was surprised it hadn't gotten worse on the way home. He sighed; it was about to get worse, far worse, before it got better.

He put his leg on the counter, grabbing his boot at the toe and heel. After taking a deep breath, Kootetsu twisted, his stomach turning at the pain and moist crunch of the joint realigning. He bit his lip, almost going through it, and curled into a partial ball. His fist slammed down on the counter, knocking over what would have been his dinner.

He didn't bother cursing. He just grabbed a towel from a drawer and pushed the mess into the sink.

Naruto looked around his apartment. The first time he had been in it, he hadn't gotten a chance to look at it. He had just gone to sleep on the queen-sized bed, barely bothering to kick his shoes off. Now that he noticed details, he wasn't overly surprised; fairly clean, with dark-olored carpeting and cream-colored walls. The bed hada dark green sheet over it, with a single undecorated pillow. There were a few chairs around a small table, a television on a wooden dresser, and a fairly well-sized kitchen. He supposed it was worth the money he'd paid for it, but that was more because of a lack of pests than an excess of luxury. It would be on fire if there were termites. More fire in the event of roaches. And god forbid rats... he shook that thought away. He didn't like rats.

Naruto walked to the kitchen, opening the fridge and sighing. He hadn't bought anything more than snack foods. He closed the refrigerator and walked to the table, opening a box of cookies to have as dinner.

-page break-

Well, that was what the wait brought. Comment, flame if you'd like, tell me how it ended up.


End file.
